While it failed to yield an instant classic theme on par with previous Walt Disney animated films, taken as a whole, The Aristocats proves one of the more delightful scores to emerge from the studio, thanks in large part to composer George Bruns' artful appropriation of jazz motifs and cosmopolitan French chanson idioms. Paired opposite songwriters Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, who contributed to Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and The Jungle Book, Bruns' richly expressive melodies boast a subtlety rare among such family-friendly fare. Along with "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat," which rightly remains a favorite among Disney scholars, the music is as sophisticated and eccentric as a title like The Aristocats portends. ~ Jason Ankeny